


The Darkening Sun

by 07icedragon



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Blackmail, Drama & Romance, Emotional, Fluff and Angst, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Major Character Injury, dark themes, suspense/thriller, will add more as they come up - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:15:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25456054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/07icedragon/pseuds/07icedragon
Summary: Things were not supposed to happen this way.He went out for a birthday present for Christ sake.He thought all this crap was dealt with already.He hadn't expected to be grabbed off the road.Not my best summary but this kind of fic is also new to me.
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Im Changkyun | I.M/Lee Hoseok | Wonho, Lee Jooheon/Lee Minhyuk, Monsta X / Monbebe, Son Hyunwoo | Shownu/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 11
Kudos: 34





	1. Abnormal Atmosphere

**Author's Note:**

> A note from the Author...
> 
> Thank you all for choosing to read this little work in progress of mine. This is my first time writing a fic about real people. So I apologize if it is not very good. I hope you enjoy it. I am trying really hard to keep them in character as much as possible. Since this is a fiction though they will not be 100% accurate. I am also new to Monsta X, but they took over my life quite quickly and I love each and every one of them. Despite my darker themed writing I wouldn't wish any harm on them. Without further chatter, I hope you enjoy.

Something was definitely not right, and hadn’t been for the past week. All the members of Monsta X felt the sudden shift among them, they just couldn’t exactly place exactly what it was. They knew where, and whom it started with though, one Lee Minhyuk. The once bright, hyper member had suddenly developed a dark cloud over him. Everyone assumed he had woken up on the wrong side of the bed, after all it wasn’t the first time the male was gloomy, and short tempered. It was the first time though, that the mood lasted for a week straight. The sudden change had really affected the other members. No one knew what to do, if they should approach the other male and force it out of him, or give him space. Even those who shared a room with him were walking on eggshells. 

The final straw which broke the metaphorical camel's back was when Minhyuk went the entire day without eating anything. During practice he had messed up on several parts to the point where he was told to return to the dorm. Where he proceeded to just curl up on the couch and stare at the wall. Kihyun refused to allow the other male to continue this way and after a unanimous decision with the rest of the group, approached the other male. 

**“Minhyuk, what is going on with you? You seem down?”** Kihyun asked with a sympathetic tone. 

Minhyuk who had still been sitting on the sofa staring at the wall slowly turned his head towards Kihyun. His eyes void of any emotion, **“I’m fine, just tired.”**

**“That's bull-”** Kihyun had to monitor himself, **“it's been a week Minhyuk, are you sure it is just being tired?”**

Narrowing his eyes, Minhyuk sneered slightly, **“Is it a crime to be tired for a week Mr. Perfect?”**

Everyone who was not so skilled at pretending to not be listening seemed to all tense at Minhyuk’s words. The atmosphere, growing stiffer than it had been before. Kihyun closed his eyes to control his temper, breathing deeply before he replied,

**“I understand that you are in a bad mood. It doesn’t give you the right to be rude and disrespectful to everyone else. I am far from perfect, and do you think no one else is tired? They are not going around being passive aggressive.”**

Shownu looked like he wanted to melt into the background and grunted uncomfortably from the kitchen as he grabbed some water. Hyungwon looked conflicted, he agreed with Kihyun though about how Minhyuk was acting. Whereas the Maknae, I.M had quietly hurried off to his room to get away from the awkward atmosphere developing in the living room. Wonho, and Jooheon looked like they didn’t know if they should stay or go. 

Trying to break the awkward atmosphere, Jooheon moved to sit down beside Minhyuk. Playfully nudging the males shoulder before speaking, **“I am sure, Minnie didn’t mean to be rude or sound passive aggressive. Right Minnie?”** He asked only for the room to explode with the very loud district sound of flesh striking flesh. 

Everything in the dorm was quiet, so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. Shownu stared at the group, mouth agape as water fell from his mouth. Hyungwon, Kihyun, and Wonho all looked on with wide, shock filled eyes. Jooheon was too shocked to react right away, staring off into the direction in which he had been slapped. His cheek had already turned slightly red from the other males hand. Minhyuk shook from his now standing position over the other male, 

**“Don’t speak for me! Don’t touch me! Just leave me alone!”** He angrily seethed. Hyungwon and Kihyun seemed to both snap and unfreeze at the same time. The former rose to his full height before grabbing Minhyuk by the front of his shirt and pulling him forward. 

**“That was uncalled for Minhyuk, snap out of it or leave until you calm the hell down.”** Hyungwon warned. His tone, having taken on a dangerous edge. 

Minhyuk aggressively shoved the taller males hands off him before grabbing his hat off the table and storming out of the dorms. Jooheon, having recovered from the slap gingerly touched the red skin. Kihyun having taken the seat Minhyuk had just been in to look at Jooheon’s face. 

**“I have never seen him so angry and hostile before, are you okay Joohoney?”** Kihyun asked with concern. 

Joohoney nodded while trying to understand why his friend was in such a bad mood, **“That isn’t like him, something must be really wrong.”**

Wonho took the seat on the other side of Jooheon and gently rubbed the males back. **“I agree, I have never se** **en Minnie like that before.”**

**“Regardless, he didn’t have to act the way he did. If something is bothering him he should have just voiced it. There was no need for him to get violent.”** Kihyun stated firmly. Hyungwon just continued to stare at the door in which the other male had angrily left through. 

**“He will be back once he cools off.”** Hyungwon silently said to himself with assurity in which he wasn’t too sold on. 

Meanwhile, Minhyuk had made it to the nearest bus stop and was waiting for the transit to arrive. He had a short five minutes before the next bus arrived. He didn’t really care what part of town it was headed to, he just needed to get away from everything. As he waited, the heavy atmosphere he had built up started to crumble around him. He was alone now, successful in distancing himself from the others. That didn’t make him feel all that good about himself though. Everything he said and did over the course of the week came back in a rush. Weighing down heavily on him. He was mean, he hurt the people he cared most about. If the Monbebe could have seen him they would have been so disappointed and disgusted. 

A sob broke forth from him and he desperately tried to pull it back and bury it along with all of the sadness that suddenly felt so overwhelming. He regretted everything the second he spoke, but he regretted slapping Jooheon the most. The male was so warm and comforting. He always knew how to cheer Minhyuk up and make all of his worries disappear. That was why Minhyuk had reacted so harshly. Why he had chosen to slap the male. Jooheon was the most dangerous to Minhyuk when it came to this. Minhyuk needed them to hate him, needed them to distance because he couldn’t do it alone. 

When the first letter had come he had been scared. His first thoughts were to go to his manager and his teammates about it, but the contents of the letter had him stopping. He didn’t even know how a letter like this had managed to reach him. Regardless he needed to protect those he loved, and if making them hate him was the only way then so be it. 

The bus had arrived then and Minhyuk got onto it, letting the doors shut behind him as he paid before walking to the back and taking a seat. He stared out the window for a while. Letting his grief finally consume him. The tears were something he hated showing others, but here on this surprisingly empty bus it felt safe. He rode like that for a while until another passenger boarded. When that happened he quickly hid his emotions and smiled bitterly at his reflection before pulling out his phone and typing a quick message.

_ ‘ **To** : Anonymous _

_**From** : Lee Minhyuk _

_ They hate me now, are you satisfied?’ _

Hitting send he put his phone back into his pocket and continued to stare out the window. Five minutes later a response came.

_ ‘ **To:** Lee Minhyuk _

_**From:** Anonymous _

_ We are never satisfied, if you don’t want the information about your friends leaked come to Jumunjin Breakwater in Gangneung tonight at midnight. Come Alone! Tell no one! Remember, we are always watching.’ _

Minhyuk closed his eyes and his phone before leaning his head back against his seat. He knew that what he was doing was the complete opposite of what everyone said to do, but he was scared, and he didn’t want Monsta X, his friends, family, and the Monbebe to be hurt because of him. 

Opening his eyes he signaled to the driver that he wanted to get off at the next stop. Once he was back on the streets he hailed a cab to Jumunjin Breakwater in Gangneung. Minhyuk hoped to finish this whole thing quickly and quietly. 

At the same time, back at the dorm everyone was still awkwardly trying to figure out how to break the strange atmosphere in the room left by Minhyuk before he left. They needed to talk, but they weren’t sure where to start. Emotions were running high and everyone was a ticking time bomb in their own right. Eventually, Kihyun did manage to bring everyone out into the living room to discuss what was happening. 

**“Alright, I know that things are awkward and a bit tense right now, but I feel like we really need to figure out what to do about Minhyuk?”** Kihyun broke the silence. 

Hyungwon nodded, **“I agree, things can’t keep going as they have been or it will just get worse. Maybe we should do a proper intervention with the manager?”**

**“I think that might be a bit extreme,”** Wonho whispered awkwardly on the couch beside Jooheon.

I.M looked up from his hands, **“I am not sure we have any non-extreme options left.”**

**“Hm, I.M, Kihyun and Hyungwon are right,”** Shownu said solemnly. 

Wonho bit his lip, **“Still, maybe it's something that we overlooked, maybe it's simple and has a simple fix.”**

**“It would be easier if that were the case,”** Hyungwon retorted.

Jooheon snorted and stood up causing everyone to involuntarily tense. Shaking his head he left the room and headed to his room, **“I need some time to think.”**

**“This is hitting him the hardest I think,”** Kihyun whispered as he ran a hand through his shaggy dark hair. **“I mean, they were quite close, and Minhyuk suddenly hitting him probably shocked him quite a bit.”**

Shownu shook his head, **“It might be more than that. Joohoney probably thinks we are preparing to kick Minhyuk from the group.”**

**“Why would he think that!?”** Kihyun and Wonho said in unison. 

Shownu scratched the back of his head, **“Jooheon is sensitive to moods, seeing everyone at their wits end has him overthinking things. Just give him a bit of time.”**

I.M picked at his thumb nail, **“Do we know if anyone in Minhyuk’s family has passed away recently, or a beloved pet?”**

**“I haven’t heard anything, granted Minnie doesn’t talk about himself in that way a whole lot. We know he has a younger sibling, and he is closest to his grandmother. That is about all we know about him. Well aside from his birthday, star sign, shoe size and other common information.”** Kihyun mused quietly.

Wonho shook his head, **“No one in his family has passed away. I know that for a fact. His pets are good too, he wouldn’t be reacting like this if it was a death.”**

**“Do you think he might be depressed, a lot of professionals say that severely depressed people are really good at hiding it behind comedy. Perhaps he has always been depressed and we just never knew it?”** Hyungwon mentioned a renewed look of concern on the tallest member’s face. 

Kihyun bit his lower lip and looked concerned, **“It’s possible I guess. Maybe we should call him and see if he is okay?”**

Little did they know, Jooheon had done just that and received voicemail every time. The growing panic the main rapper was feeling unnerved him. He hated feeling scared, horror stuff was one thing, but this was on a whole different level of terror. When the tenth call went to voicemail Jooheon switched to texting.

_ ‘ **To:** My Bright Min-Hyung  _

_**From:** Your Honey-Bee _

_ Answer your phone damn it!  _

_ I know you didn’t mean to slap me.  _

_ I get it dude, but seriously return to the dorm!  _

_ Minnie I swear to god… _

_ I will kick your beautiful ass if you don’t answer me! _

_ Hyunggggggg T_T T_T T_T’ _

He sent message after message. Line after line. It only took a few seconds for a reply to come in.

_ ‘ **To:** My Honey-Bee _

_**From:** Your Bright Min-Hyung _

_ My phone has a low battery. I’m not accepting calls. _

_ I’ll return to the dorm later.  _

_ I’m still tired and cranky. I’ll get a room at a hotel tonight and return tomorrow before practice. _

_ …. _

_ Does it hurt? Your cheek I mean?  _

_ I’m sorry.’ _

Jooheon looked at the message and felt a little bit better. Just a little bit though, it was a relief to know his Minnie was still in there somewhere. The fact that he thought about Minhyuk as his, went right over his head at that moment. His relief was a lot more important than anything else at that moment. 

_ ‘ **To:** My Bright Min-Hyung _

_**From:** Your Honey-Bee _

_ Can I come too?  _

_ I miss your warmth. Plus Shownu’s snoring has been keeping me up at night. _

_ I might smother him in his sleep.’ _

Jooheon replied a lighter air was already starting to surround him from the previous heavy one. He was also feeling nervous and excited for Minhyuk’s response. He just wanted to make the male he loved so much smile at him again. 

_ ‘ **To:** My Honey-Bee _

_**From:** Your Bright Min-Hyung _

_ As lovely as spending the night with you would be. _

_ I need tonight to get my head straight.  _

_ Don’t kill dad, if you can suffer one more night I will give you a big reward tomorrow.  _

_ Sound good?’  _

Jooheon pouted, but he responded with a quick okay before he put his phone away and laid down to go to bed. 


	2. Abduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello, its me again. I hope you enjoy chapter 2. I know they are short chapters, but this is my first time writing about real people so its a bit different for me to get used to.

Minhyuk had arrived at the Jumunjin Breakwater in Gangneung around 11 PM. He had an hour before the meeting was supposed to take place and his nerves were already wound pretty tightly from the whole ordeal the previous week had been. Sitting down on a vacant bench he stared out at the night horizon. The crescent moon that night doing nothing for lighting the water. Looking down at his phone he suddenly regretted not accepting Jooheon’s request to spend the night together. He would have preferred warm cuddles over sitting outside in the middle of the night waiting to meet up with some sketchy person who was blackmailing him. 

Really, if it had been as simple as personal blackmail Minhyuk wouldn’t have cared so much. However, this person was threatening the other members, his family. He didn’t want anything bad to hang over their heads, so he played along with the anonymous text messages. All in which knew a lot, a lot more than they should have known. Minhyuk was confused on how they knew so much when most of the stuff wasn’t even known to other members let alone released outside of their own personal group chats. 

Minhyuk had started to suspect that the anonymous blackmailer might actually be someone on the inside. Someone who worked for the company that wanted to mess with him, or see how far they could go. He also thought it might be the set up for some new reality show, but he soon shook that thought off. It was too serious to be any kind of promotional stunt. Plus there were no cameras following him around. Which only really left one option. Someone on the inside was trying to control or ruin Monsta X through him. Minhyuk had no idea who it could be though, and he didn’t want to raise suspicion. 

His phone suddenly alerting him to a text caused the nervous male to jump a little. Opening his phone he stared at the message in shock. 

_ ‘ **To** : Lee Minhyuk _

_**From** : Anonymous _

_ I see you do not follow orders very well. I told you to distance yourself from the other members. Why are you being so friendly with Lee Jooheon? Do I have to remind you of the consequences?’ _

They already knew about the conversation he had through text with Jooheon only a couple hours prior. Minhyuk was more certain than ever that it had to be an inside job. That or some anti fans were really good at bugging their personal belongings and their home. 

_ ‘ **To** : Anonymous _

_**From** : Lee Minhyuk _

_ It is hard to ‘distance’ myself from them. They are my family. I haven’t forgotten the consequences.’ _

The response was instantaneous…

_ ‘ **To** : Lee Minhyuk _

_**From** : Anonymous _

_ Meeting Canceled! Try Harder to make them hate you next time. Tell Jooheon sorry, you did just cause him some trouble.’ _

Minhyuk read, and reread the message, his blood running cold. What had just happened? He was so lost, but the panic of knowing that he was responsible for what was to come was terrifying. 

_ ‘ **To** : Anonymous _

_**From** : Lee Minhyuk _

_ Wait please, don’t hurt Jooheon’s appearance. Do whatever you want to my image, but please leave them out of it. I’ll do anything.’ _

The silence that stretched on was deafening. He stared at his phone screen for what seemed like hours waiting for a response from the blackmailer. Nothing happened though. Shoulders shaking, he balled his fist and drove it into the back of the bench several times before he calmed down enough to focus. That was when the response came, 

_ ‘ **To** : Lee Minhyuk _

_**From** : Anonymous _

_ We are intrigued, how far are you willing to go to ruin your image to protect theirs?’ _

Lee Minhyuk looked up at the sky and exhaled loudly. How far was he willing to go to protect them? It should have been an easy answer, from their time together on No Mercy to the years they spent together, all the trials and errors they faced, the victories, and losses. Hell there was even the Wonho scare a year ago when they weren’t sure what would happen. Remembering that incident solidified Minhyuk’s resolve and he responded. 

_ ‘ **To** : Anonymous _

_**From** : Lee Minhyuk _

_ I will find a way to get fired, or leave the group, would that be enough?’ _

There was another long pause that felt like it went on forever.

_ ‘ **To:** Lee Minhyuk _

_**From:** Anonymous _

_ We refuse. Careful on your way home.’ _

Jooheon, was the first thing that popped into Minhyuk’s head upon reading the message. What had he done? Shaking he tried to figure out how to explain what was to come to the other male. After all, whatever the blackmailer had, it was going to hurt Jooheon the most, and Minhyuk couldn’t bear knowing that he caused his Honey Bee pain. 

There was no point in him sitting around doing nothing. He decided that he should probably head back to the dorm. He knew he said he would be staying at a hotel, but honestly he just wanted to be home in his own bed, even if everyone was mad at him. The bus had stopped running an hour before, and he only had enough money to get him close to the dorm. He would have to walk the last couple of blocks but that was fine by him. 

The taxi ride had been expensive and ate up all of Minhyuk’s cash that he had on hand. Getting out, he thanked the driver and started walking towards the dorms. Pulling his phone, he checked the time and his phone’s battery life. It was at 25%, and it was currently 2:45AM. Minhyuk was sure he would be exhausted, especially with the practice and the shows they had the following day. In all honesty, he was not sleeping well since this whole blackmailing thing started and this night was proving to be worse than most. 

It only got worse when he paused to pull out his key to enter the dorms, only to hear tires squealing. Looking behind him he noticed a black van with tinted windows that was almost impossible to see except for the blinding headlights. The sliding door flew open and two masked men jumped out. Minhyuk didn’t have any time to react before they were grabbing him, covering his mouth and nose with a cloth. He vaguely remembered tossing his phone into the shrubs before he was hurriedly hauled into the van before it sped away. The curtains a few floors up moved slightly as a very sleepy Wonho looked outside to see what the commotion was. All he saw was a set of tail lights disappearing and shrugged it off. 


	3. Groggy Mornings Suck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everyone, I am back with Chapter 3. I hope you enjoy. Again sorry my chapters are so short, I promise they will get longer once I get used to it.

No one in the dorms had slept well that night, for different reasons, although all the reasons stemmed from the same place. Everyone was concerned, deep in thought about what the following day would bring when Minhyuk returned. They had been walking on eggshells for so long that they were not sure what to expect. They hoped that Minhyuk was able to snap out of whatever was bothering him so that things could go back to normal. However, there was no guarantee, and the uncertainty of it all was causing everyone to have a poor sleep. 

Like most mornings, Kihyun and Wonho were the first ones awake. They proceeded as usual. Wonho, moving to where they normally kept the gym equipment, to work out. While Kihyun worked on breakfast before waking the other members up. Shownu was the easiest. The second he smelt the food he was awake and headed to the shower. Kihyun, having already taken his shower, took that time to go and wake the others up. Changkyun, or I.M as the fans know him, was the easiest of the three still sleeping to wake up. All Kihyun had to do was whisper in his ear and the Maknae was awake an instant later. Till this day neither of them have revealed exactly what it is that Kihyun whispers. 

The second out of the three was Jooheon. He was a bit harder to wake up. Kihyun normally had Minhyuk do it since the two had a closer relationship. Minhyuk would just lay on top of Jooheon and pester him gently until the other male couldn’t sleep anymore. Kihyun preferred to hit them if they didn’t wake up fast enough, usually with the nearest pillow or stuffed animal. More often than not, he ended up using that particular method on Hyungwon, who was the hardest to awaken out of their group. So after he finished waking up the other three members, he went back to the kitchen to make sure the food was done and the stove turned off. 

Covering the cooked food, he went back to the room Hyungwon slept in and found the male already awake. That was abnormal and Kihyun couldn’t help but stand in the doorway gaping at the lanky male sitting on the top bunk. Judging by the males eyes, he hadn’t slept much that night, if at all. Walking over to the side of the bed, he looked up at Hyungwon.

**“Did you manage to sleep at all?”** His question was met with an awkward silence.

The silence didn’t last too long though once Hyungwon registered that he was being spoken to. **“No, I had some things to go over so I sat out in the living room until around 3am.”** He explained, though it wasn’t completely truthful. 

Hyungwon had stayed up until well after 3am but it wasn’t because of anything he was working on. It was because he was worried about Minhyuk who had yet to return or even call him. He had been a bit harsh on his friend the night before and it bothered him that the male hadn’t contacted him. Normally, even if they were mad at each other or fighting and needed space, they would message the other person and let them know that they were staying at a hotel. Hyungwon’s insomnia was bad enough but when uncertainty and worry were thrown in, it was impossible for the taller male to sleep even a wink. 

Kihyun seemed to know this, even if Hyungwon didn’t directly say it. **“I made breakfast, you should come out and eat something. I think today might be an easy day so don’t worry too much about practice.”**

Hyungwon nodded in understanding before he awkwardly asked, **“Has anyone heard from Minhyuk?”**

**“I am not sure, we can ask while we eat breakfast. How about that?”** Kihyun suggested before heading back out into the hallway, leaving Hyungwon to get ready. 

Forty minutes later, they were all cleaned up and ready for the day. Wonho had returned from his workout, having showered afterwards. It was nice to live in a place that had multiple bathrooms; made things progress a lot faster. All six members were casually sitting around the table picking away at the food Kihyun made. None of them were really able to focus on anything other than the most pressing concern. Well except Shownu, he had finished his plate and was on his second, but he was eating a lot slower and with a lot less enjoyment. 

Finally, Hyungwon asked his question. **“Have any of you heard from Minhyuk since he left?”**

**“I spoke to him a bit last night. He said he would be back today before practice.”** Jooheon muttered a bit. Minhyuk should have returned by then but there was no sign of him. 

Hyungwon’s expression sank more as he processed that. **“Did you message him this morning asking if he was still coming?”**

**“I was going to.”** Jooheon said, pulling out his phone to send a quick message to Minhyuk. 

Wonho seemed to be either deep in thought or playing a strategic game with a cherry tomato. **“Did anyone hear the crazy road race that was going on outside at around 2am?”** He curiously asked, hoping to change the awkward tension between Hyungwon and Jooheon. 

**“That was rather strange,”** Changkyun mentioned, **“It normally doesn’t happen in this part of town.”**

Kihyun nodded. **“I wonder if anyone was able to get the licence plate and report it. They could have hurt someone with that careless driving.”**

**“Probably not. It was rather dark and, by the time I got up and looked out the window, the car’s tail lights were vanishing around the corner.”** Wonho said tiredly. 

Shownu finished off his second plate before standing up and carrying the dishes to the sink to wash up. **“We will report it to our manager later, we should get ready and head to the practice room.”** He said before pausing to think for a moment. **“We will do some easy choreography and basic stretching for two hours.”**

It was a smaller workload than what they normally did, but they were all tired and Shownu preferred to keep his team functioning rather than broken. Once they were all finished eating and cleaning up their plates they headed to the lower level practice room. Minhyuk had still yet to respond to Jooheon’s message. 

_******* _

It was around that time when Lee Minhyuk was waking up with one killer headache. He was not sure why he had such a headache, he rarely drank, disliking the overall flavor of beer. Minhyuk was more of an orange juice kind of guy. So when he woke up with a splitting headache, he didn’t fully understand why right away. Only when he moved his head, and felt a sharp pain shoot through his skull, did he understand. Groaning at the sudden pain, he recalled the earlier events that led him to this moment.

The two masked figures who grabbed him outside his dorm complex and pulled him into a dark colored vehicle. His head connected with something hard and dense as the vehicle jerked sharply around corners. He ended up blacking out after that, which now explained the pain he was experiencing. Gingerly reaching up, he touched his head and winced at the tenderness. Pulling his hand away, he noticed dark dried blood which had flaked off his almond brown tinted hair. 

Trying to focus his vision, he tried to make out where he was or at least his surroundings. It appeared he was in a small 8x8 foot room with a small rectangle of dim light near the ceiling. He couldn’t make out a door, it all looked seamless except for the four corners. Gray cement walls, an old thin worn out mat that he was currently sitting on, and a rather uncomfortable looking chair in the corner. It reminded Minhyuk of the horror movies he loved to watch so much. Only now, he was not really loving it. 

**“Jooheon would crap himself if he saw this place.”** Minhyuk mused to himself before standing up and feeling cautiously along the walls. He couldn’t see everything perfectly, but he could make out shapes and such. His hosts had been kind enough to give him a room with a toilet. At least he was thankful for that much. Other than that, he really had no idea where he was, or why he was there. It seemed a bit excessive to be related to the blackmailing. He just hoped that his friends were able to find his phone sooner rather than later. 

**_***_ **

Back at the dorms, everyone had yet to even leave the building. They were still practicing their choreography. They only stopped when Hyungwon fell for the third time, reading it as a sign to stop for the day. Everyone was exhausted, mentally and physically. Minhyuk had still not responded to Jooheon, who had continuously forgotten his positions. Changkyun and Wonho were also not fully with it, they bumped into each other a lot, and then Hyungwon kept misstep-ping due to the missing person. 

**“Perhaps we should go get something to eat and then maybe go look for Minhyuk.”** Kihyun suggested. 

That seemed to revive everyone a bit. **“Agreed, where did he say he was staying Jooheon?”** Shownu curiously asked as he used the end of the towel draped over his shoulders to wipe his sweat from his face. 

**“He didn’t give a name, he just said it was a hotel near the dorm.”** Jooheon explained. 

Wonho spoke then. **“There are two near us, perhaps we should split into two groups and look around. We can grab something while we are out.”**

Everyone seemed to be okay with that idea, so the large group split into two smaller ones. Shownu, Kihyun and Hyungwon would go south, while Jooheon, Changkyun and Wonho would search east. If they found Minhyuk, they were to message the other group right away and all head back to the dorm. Once that was settled they all set off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you all so much for the really nice comments. You guys are awesome and I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Stay safe everyone. ^^


	4. Phase Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:: Sorry for the late update. Life got a little chaotic there for a second. I hope you are all enjoying the story. I will try to have more chapters for you as the week progresses to make up for being late.

Two middle aged men with graying hair sat across a small circular table in an equally small spaced kitchen. Both looked a bit skittish, and concerned. Jumping at pretty much any given sound that just so happened to break the awkward silence that filled the small room. A third man, also in his thirties, but with darker hair stood at a widow over the sink. Overlooking the early morning streets of Seoul as the other citizens were all waking up to start their day. His hands rested on the counter, the sound of the clock continuously ticking away in the background. It was obvious the tension in the room was thick and very much present. 

The man at the sink finally turned around to shoot an irritated glare at the other two men who both jumped at the sudden movement. 

**“Just whose bright idea was it to nab him off the streets?”** The man asked with clear irritation in his tone. **“I do not recall giving the order to kidnap anyone!”**

The taller of the two at the table looked down shamefully at his hands. Playing with his fingers as he tried to calm the situation. **“We saw him on his phone, and he was going back into the dorm. We assumed that he was going to reveal everything.”**

**“This is why I don’t pay you to think. Moron. You shouldn’t have moved unless I gave you the signal, now we have no real way to get what we want because you brainless buffoons prematurely kidnapped our only chip.”** The third male angrily spat as he brought his hands down hard on the table causing the shorter male to flinch. 

All three men were silent for a few seconds before the leader of their little group stood up and ran a hand through his greasy hair. **“Alright, here is what we are going to do. It is a bit earlier than planned, but we are going to enact phase two. That means that you two need to follow instructions to the letter or so help me. I will cast your feet in cement and push you off the pier.”**

With that said he moved to lay out a large rolled up piece of paper on the table. Unrolling it so that they could all look at it while he went over the details involved in phase two of their plan. 

**“We know that Lee Minhyuk loves to talk a lot, he craves attention, step one is we will not acknowledge him in any way. He can talk all he wants just act like no one is there. Deliver, and collect the food, and water periodically for now. We need to play a physiological game here, meaning it will take time. Luckily I had the panic room installed with sound proofing so he can scream and yell all he wants no one will hear him. Under no circumstances are you to acknowledge him in any way. We need to break him.”** The leader of the three men stressed before a thought occurred to him. 

Looking at the other two he extended a hand expectantly. The other two males just stared at it wondering what the male wanted them to do. The taller of the two put his hand in his bosses as if the male had asked a dog to shake its paw. Hitting the lanky male with the side of his hand he cursed, **“The phone you idiot, you said he was on his phone when you nabbed him!?”**

The two males shared a look before smiling awkwardly at their boss, **“Well you see, when we grabbed him, he must have dropped it, we haven’t found it yet!”**

If it were possible for someone's head to explode without the assistance of a small bomb chip embedded in their heads then that is exactly what would have happened. Closing his eyes in exasperation the leader of the small group firmly pinched the bridge of his nose. Trying to calm his breathing, as he was minutes away from losing it. **“Let me get this straight. You jump the gun. Grab our hostage before phase one was complete. Throwing everything off balance, but if that wasn’t enough you lost his phone? The same phone that has the blackmailing messages and e-mails?”**

Both men looked uncomfortable with their boss as he fell heavily into the chair laughing slightly. They weren’t sure if they were supposed to laugh with him or not, but they figured it would be safer in this instance to not laugh with him. It seemed like a good call because in the next instant they were dodging a glass that hurtled through the air at them. 

**“Get out there and find the damn phone before anyone else does god damn it!”** The male roared and watched as both his underlings scurried awkwardly out of the house anxiously. He only had to wait a few minutes before he heard the car engine turn over and leave. Running his hand through his hair again he went over to the fridge and started pulling random ingredients out. He would need to feed their new pet. 

Meanwhile the cool dampness of the dark room had Minhyuk shivering. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, it felt like an eternity with nothing to do and no one to talk to. He was not afraid of the dark or anything, but the silence with just the occasional echo of a dripping pipe was setting the male idol on edge. Minhyuk had to wonder if his friends had managed to find his cell phone yet, if they were even looking for him to begin with. The possibility that his friends might not be looking for him had Minhyuk feeling colder than the damp room around him. Biting his lower lip he leaned back against the cement wall. 

As if the universe has seen his boredom and decided to take pity on him, Minhyuk heard footsteps approaching in the next few minutes. However, Minhyuk was sure that this particular company would not be the fun kind of company. When a small latch on the wall opened across the room it screeched at such an octave that Minhyuk had to cover his ears. A few moments later a tray had been shoved across the floor towards him before the latch slammed shut once more. Staring down at his food Minhyuk turned his nose up to it. 

On the stainless steel tray was an apple, and what looked to be an oatmeal or a porridge. Whatever the contents were, it was not appetizing in the least. Minhyuk took the apple though, he was hungry and it didn’t appear to have anything wrong with it. He didn’t see any puncture holes or anything. Even after he took his first bite nothing seemed off about it. Finishing the apple he dumped the rest of the food down the toilet. Unknown to him was the small cameras in the four corners of the panic room. Which allowed his captors to monitor him, and adjust to any new information or tactic they could use in the future. He was still bored though that no one had actually stayed to talk to him. So he started singing the lyrics to some of his favorite songs to kill some of the boring silence. 

_ *** _

Shownu, Kihyun and Hyungwon who had gone south had checked with hotel reception to see if Minhyuk had checked in. They even checked to see if he had used Starship's name or even one of his aliases. Nothing, no one by Minhyuk’s name or description had checked in within the last 24 hours. That just seemed to concern the group more as they left the hotel. 

**“Perhaps he checked into a smaller establishment around here?”** Kihyun offered, grasping at any kind of hope he could find. 

Shownu and Hyungwon both nodded in agreement, **“We can take a look. I swear though if he is chilling in a hot tub somewhere I will kick his ass.”** Hyungwon warned. He was very nervous though and it could be seen in his mannerisms. He was not all that focused and kept tripping. 

**“Let's grab some lunch real quick before we continue.”** Shownu said and gestured to a small noodle shop. Both boys agreed and all three went inside to be seated. 

The second team searching to the north, was making about the same amount of progress that the team to the south was making. Wonho, Jooheon, and Changkyun had checked three overnight establishments. Hell Wonho even asked a love hotel if someone fitting Minhyuk’s description checked in. Much to his eternal embarrassment. All three places turned them away saying that no one matching that description had checked in. Changkyun and Wonho were exhausted, Jooheon could see it and he felt bad dragging them around to place after place without letting them eat anything. 

**“Hey guys if you need to stop to eat we can stop, I am sorry I am just worried.”** Jooheon said, slightly embarrassed. 

Wonho and Changkyun both shook their heads, **“No we are worried too, we can keep searching.”** Wonho said reassuringly, followed up by Changkyun’s, **“Food can wait.”**

**“That is much appreciated guys, but we won’t be any help if we don’t have the energy to keep looking, let's grab something quick to eat and then we can resume looking.”** Jooheon said as he looked around and spotted a dumpling house. 

After both teams had finished eating they ended up heading back to the dorm. Jooheon continuously called Minhyuk to try and speak to the other male but his calls only went to voicemail meaning the phone was either turned off or dead. That just caused mixed emotions to fluctuate through the male. Anger at the possibility that Minhyuk was ignoring them knowing how worried they would be, and actual concern that he was so hurt that he couldn’t charge his phone. Those were the only two options that Jooheon would allow himself to believe. Anything else was just too much. 

The rapper felt like he was on the verge of a panic attack. Luckily Changkyun and Wonho were there to bring him down when he started to go up. It was getting late, the sun was already setting by this point and Wonho received a text from Shownu telling them to head back to the dorm for the day. Jooheon didn’t like the idea of stopping but he understood that there wasn’t much they could do in the dark. Plus they had a reputation and image to protect as Monsta X. 

Both groups arrived back at the dorm, just in time to see a small SUV take off down the road. Wonho stared after it with a raised eyebrow, **“A second time in two days, that is a little ridiculous,”** He said to himself as he followed Hyungwon up the stairs. 

Fate must have been on their side, or Hyungwon was the luckiest man alive, his worry for Minhyuk, which had increased his overall clumsiness had not subsided. That split second comment from Wonho, followed by Hyungwon semi turning to see what the male was talking about had the taller male flailing, before falling backwards into the bushes. Everyone turned to look at Hyungwon who was groaning and rubbing his head. His hand moved slightly only to come in contact with something. 

A moment later Hyungwon lifted a small cell phone up. Everyone immediately recognized it and tensed. Helping Hyungwon up, Shownu moved to make sure everyone got inside before shutting and locking the door. 

**“Someone, please get a phone charger.”** Kihyun said as he moved to remove his shoes and head to the living room. **“We need to plug in the phone and see if it has any clues.”**

**“Shouldn’t we also call the cops, or our manager?”** Changkyun asked but Shownu was already on the phone with the manager who told them to hang tight and he would be there soon. 

So they plugged the cell phone in and stared at the small device as if it held some giant mystery or secret. When the manager arrived the man moved to sit across from the other boys and frowned down at the phone. An officer came in shortly after him to dust the phone for fingerprints. Once that was done they were allowed to turn it on and see if there was anything on it. 

The members of Monsta X watched with bated breath as the phone’s screensaver lit up the room with a picture of all their smiling faces. He had a lot of notifications, mainly from his friends from that day. There were no other messages or calls from any other numbers other than theirs. Well except for one, but it seemed strange. It was just one message, no history no name just one message that eerily read, 

_ ‘ **To:** Lee Minhyuk _

_**From:** Anonymous _

_ We refuse. Careful on your way home.’ _

The cop had already written down the number, but his expression was bleak, as if he already knew the lead wouldn’t lead anywhere but a burner phone. The rest of the members stared at the message trying to decipher what it meant. Nothing was making sense. What had Minhyuk offered this person for them to refuse? Could it have been a simple hidden girlfriend message? Was it more serious? Judging by the look on the policeman's face it seemed to be of a more serious nature. 

**“Keep the phone on, if you receive any more anonymous messages or a ransom call notify me immediately.”** The policeman handed his cell phone number over to the manager before leaving to report back to the station. 

The manager looked at the boys who all looked very tense and uncomfortable, **“Would you guys like me to stay here for the night. I can crash on the sofa if it makes you feel safer?”**

**“Thank you Manager Kim, that would be great if you could.”** Kihyun said as he picked at his fingernails. 

None of them were in the right mindset to think the two speeding cars were involved. Everyone was more shook about what could have potentially happened to Minhyuk. A fear later confirmed a few hours into the next morning when a text with a photo attachment came in. Everyone had retired to their rooms, and the manager was asleep on the sofa. No one saw the photo until the next morning when Kihyun was the first one to wake up. 

No one slept well that night either and so it was easy for Kihyun to wake everyone up for the next day, a lot of them were in no mood to practice though. It was only as they joined their manager in the living room that they noticed the flashing blue indicator light. Notifying them that Minhyuk’s phone had a new notification. Picking up the phone they opened the photo attachment. The photo was of Minhyuk barefoot in a small, dark, windowless room with a straw mat and a toilet in the corner. It also had captions. 

_‘No more cops or next time we will send more than pictures! Now it's time to play, Simon says.’_


	5. Simon Says

The remaining members of Monsta X as well as their now awake manager all stared at the phone. After a brief pause the manager stood up and pulled out his phone as well as the note with the police officers number on it. Kihyun was the first to respond by a few seconds, 

**“What are you doing?”** The alarm in his tone was evident to everyone else in the room. 

Looking at the main vocalist the manager sighed, **“I am following procedure for a situation like this and notifying the police.”**

**“We were told not to or else they would send more than pictures.”** Jooheon nervously protested. 

The manager put his phone down and turned to look at the group, **“Look guys, I am going to be completely honest with you. His career is officially over now. Starship isn’t going to risk the scandals. They will demand the kidnappers get caught above everything else. The higher ups will make sure that the family and Mr. Lee is appropriately compensated for this trauma.”**

**“Mr. Lee, is that all we are to you when something like this happens?”** Hyungwon’s voice was dark, more dangerous than anything the others had heard before. **“A formal name spoken in passing. He isn’t dead, Manager Kim!”**

Manager Kim sighed heavily, **“I know that gentlemen but this is unfortunately beyond our control. Do you know the kind of trauma he could be facing, how much time and money would be wasted on an idol who many never perform again.”**

**“Wasted…”** Hyungwon felt his hands curl into fists at his side. He itched to punch something, and Hyungwon was not a violent man. He was normally very laid back. 

Wonho even seemed bothered by the managers choice of words, **“Was it a waste to keep me?”** He asked, referring to the scandal earlier that year. 

**“That is a different circumstance,”** Manager Kim tried to explain. In all honesty if the fans had not protested so much than Monsta X would have been a 6 man team long before the current moment. **“You didn’t need months of recovery treatments. Mr. Lee will probably require a lot of medical assessments, and he isn’t the most popular among you if we are being honest.”**

Everyone tensed at the managers words, followed by the sound of a balled fist harshly striking the middle aged male. Hyungwon and Wonho eyes widened as they stared at Changkyun who stood over the male who was now sitting on his ass. Fists balled at his sides as he shook. No one had expected such an outburst from the Maknae. 

**“Popular or not, Wonho or not, he is a member of this team and our family!”** Changkyun felt his voice crack over the last word. 

Jooheon gently put a hand on Changkyun’s shoulder to calm the younger male down. **“I.M is right, he is like family to us, and if it were anyone else we would feel the same way. Please don’t report anything to the cops yet. Give us a month please.”**

**“You have a week, that is all I can promise you before I have to get the police fully involved in this.”** Manager Kim sighed reluctantly. **“I can’t control the outcome of whether the company keeps him or not though.”**

It seemed like they were about to protest the whole one week thing, but Shownu stopped them with a look, **“One week, thank you for your understanding Manager Kim. You should return to your family. They probably miss you.”**

**“You are probably right, thank you and make you, you guys stay safe and in pairs to prevent another kidnapping.”** The older man instructed as he stood up and gathered his things off the table. 

Once the manager had left everyone sat awkwardly silent around the cell phone which sat ominously on the table. They were not sure when the next message would come, or even if they could reach the other person by texting back. It was Shownu who decided to try it and see if the number was off yet or not. Picking up the phone he opened the text containing the image and hit reply. 

_ ‘ **To:** Anonymous _

_**From:** Lee Minhyuk _

_ Alright, no police. What is it you want us to do?’ _

Once the question was sent they sat with baited breath for the response to arrive. They waited about thirty minutes before the phone buzzed again. 

_ ‘ **To:** Lee Minhyuk  _

_**From:** Anonymous _

_ Simon says …   
_

_ Wonho - Post a video online to your Monbebe, tell them they are mindless sheep. That you are amused at the thought, that they think they are special to you. When in fact you would never be caught dead getting involved with a fan. [Right Eye] _

_ Hyungwon - Post a video online of you degrading a veteran. Make sure to be extremely rude and disrespectful. [Video Knee] _

_ Remember, we will know if you call the cops or if you do not do the task required. You will have 24 hours before the punishments will be issued. So get out there and fulfill your missions.’ _

The boys all stared at the phone in shock. Hyungwon and Wonho looked like they might be sick. A lot of questions circulated silently among the group. Why did they have to do this? What did the person or persons mean by punishment and how would they know if the tasks were not staged? How would Wonho disrespect Monbebe? They meant everything to him and he didn’t want to hurt them. Hyungwon was also at a loss, disrespecting a war veteran was despicable and Hyungwon already knew he would never be able to fulfill the task. He was sure he could handle whatever punishment these freaks had in store for him.

Wonho on the other hand was scared, he didn’t know what the punishment could be but he knew these people had Minhyuk and he was worried about the male. Hyungwon picked up the phone and started filming himself with Minhyuk’s camera. 

**“I cannot and will not disrespect people who have fought and died for us. I am willing to accept whatever punishment you have for me. So hurry it up.”** Hyungwon spoke before he ended the recording and sent the video to the Anonymous number. After a few moments a response came in. 

_ ‘ **To:** Lee Minhyuk  _

_**From:** Anonymous _

_ That is a shame, what about Wonho will he drop his task or fulfill it. He has 12 hours now since you dropped out of the running. Hyungwon’s punishment will be delivered tomorrow morning along with Wonho’s if he fails in his mission.’ _

Everyone stared at the message and for a moment. They were not sure what kind of punishment would be coming, and honestly Hyungwon wished that they were instant punishments so that they could know what they were facing. However, it appeared that Wonho would have to either drop his task as well or fulfill it. Just the idea of attacking Monbebe made them all feel dirty. 

**“Just take the punishment Wonho, anything they do to us would be worth it in order to protect Monbebe. I mean it can’t be anything too bad could it?”** Changkyun said though he had a strange feeling about this whole situation that made him fear his own words. 

Shownu and Kihyun seemed to agree with him though, **“Insulting the Monbebe who defended and fought for you, for us is a lot for these people to ask of you. We will be with you for your punishment. We will share it with you.”**

**“I need a minute to think, excuse me.”** Wonho said as he left the sitting room before heading to the gym inside the dorms. He was not worried about himself, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that his decision could have very bad consequences. Especially since Hyungwon had already forfeited his test. He spent the next 4 hours working out while in deep thought before he finally reached a decision. Taking a quick shower he headed back to the room. Everyone had gone back to doing their daily schedule in order to not think too much on what was happening. 

When Wonho returned they all stopped though and turned to him for his decision. Wonho closed his eyes and shook his head, **“I-I have decided.”** Walking into the shared space he removed his slippers and stepped up onto the floor before walking over to the balcony. 

**“Excuse me, I shouldn’t be too long,”** Wonho said as he stepped out onto the balcony and took a seat in one of the chairs. Setting his phone up to film a message. Shaking off his nerves he smiled and started recording. 

**“Hello Monbebe…”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:: Well things are getting a bit more intense. I would like to put out there that their will be more tasks, involving the other four members. This one was for Wonho and Hyungwon. If anyone has any ideas on what kind of tasks should be given to Shownu, Kihyun, I.M, or Jooheon I would love to hear about it in the comments. Love for my readers to feel like they are somewhat involved in the creation of the story. That being said my next update will be in a weeks time. So if you have any input please make sure to comment before September 2nd. 
> 
> Thank you so much for enjoying the story.


	6. Grimm Mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay I swear Minnie is my Bias and this chapter hurt a lot to write. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I am extending the suggestions for another week. If anyone has any suggestions for who should be the next two members to receive 'tasks.' I am open to them. A little warning now, this chapter involves a bit of gore. I didn't go all out but its there in any case.

The notification alerted the monbebe of the world to a new update from one of the many users they were following. Seeing a new video posted from Wonho they smiled excitedly. Curious about what the male had to say. Normally he would give them a good morning message, or a pillow talk message before they went to bed. So it wasn’t out of the ordinary for them to see a message from him. Opening up the video they got comfortable where they were and began watching. 

**“Hello Monbebe,”** came the all too familiar voice over the recorded video. **“I hope you have all been safe and well.”** With that said he gave the camera of his phone a quick finger heart. The viewers all let out an arrangement of reactions from squealing, to just smiling fondly at the video. Some even return the finger hearts with their own.

**“I have missed you all very much and can’t wait to see you all in person again. You guys have been eating well right? Sleeping well too? Remember you have to stay healthy and happy so I can see you. If I can’t see you then I will be very sad.”** Wonho said, biting his lip. He just couldn’t bring himself to insult them. Smiling a little wider he waved at the camera. **“I have to go now. You guys make sure to eat a good dinner and get a good sleep.”** With that the video ended and Monbebe was ecstatic to have received a message from Wonho. 

The Idol on the other hand was not sure of anything at that moment though. He hadn’t been able to do his given task and he wasn’t sure what kind of punishment he would have to endure, but he wouldn’t let the other members share in it. Something he had told them after he had posted the video. The rest of that day progressed in a thick, depressing atmosphere. All of them anxious about what their punishments could be. While some of them distracted themselves with their usual routines. Others just anxiously paced back and forth, others being mainly Kihyun and Jooheon.

_******* _

Meanwhile, the leader of the kidnappers Hong Soh-un was staring at the burner phone before he removed the battery and tossed the shell of the phone into the trash. It seemed like the members of Monsta X were not taking him seriously. Unfortunately for them they would have to deal with the consequences. Now he needed to go and prepare the punishments so that they could be delivered the next morning. Luckily they made a decision pretty early on, that meant that they wouldn’t have to be up all night getting stuff prepared. Throwing the battery into a scrap metal pile he headed back to the house. Pulling out another burner phone before messaging his co-conspirators. 

_ ‘ **To:** Tweedledee _

_**From:** The Crow _

_ Go restrain our guest. They opted for punishment.’ _

After he sent the first message he moved on to the second message.

_ ‘ **To:** Tweedledum  _

_**From:** The Crow _

_ I need you to get the medical bag from the garage and the sledge hammer. Then assist the other one with our guest.’ _

With both messages sent Hong Soh-un got back into his car and started back to where they were keeping Minhyuk locked up. It was a short drive, no more than 20 minutes at most in good traffic conditions. When he did arrive back at the house things were pretty quiet until he moved to the basement where the panic room was situated. Only then did he hear the muffled sounds of a scuffle. He spotted the medical bag on a small table over by the furnace and went over to withdraw a small vial of clear liquid and a syringe. 

Taking a small dosage he calmly, if not irritably joined his bumbling buffoons in the panic room. Tweedledee was hunched over covering his private region in a cold sweat. While Tweedledum had Minhyuk cornered over by the toilet. Using the other male as a distraction he managed to get close enough to inject the liquid into Minhyuk’s neck. The effect was swift enough, and soon they were able to maneuver the male to a chair in the center of the room. Making sure to secure him to the chair with zip ties and rope. 

Hong Soh-un took a seat across from Minhyuk once he made sure everything was where he needed it to be. All that was left for him to do was wait for Minhyuk to regain his physical awareness. A feat that didn’t take too long since the dosage he injected the other male with wasn’t a lot. So when Minhyuk fully came back to his senses Hong Soh-un smiled and leaned forward in his seat. Arm leaning against his legs. 

**“So I have bad news, your friends don’t seem to care too much about you.”** Hong Soh-un spoke with an apologetic tone. **“I mean you must really be annoying or they just must not care about you at all.”**

Minhyuk smirked and spat at the male across from him, **“You don’t know anything. They are too worried about me and are probably really close to finding me.”**

**“Oh, someone sure is optimistic in this situation. In reality your good friends posted this less than a few hours ago,”** Hong Soh-un retorted leaning forward to show Minhyuk the video Wonho posted. **“They seem to care more about the fans’ well being than yours.”**

Minhyuk didn’t let the males taunting get to him, instead he just continued to smile as if he knew something the other male was obviously overlooking. **“Everyone knows Wonho loves monbebe. So regardless he would have sent them a video message. It also helps him relax.”**

**“What if I told you that they were given the means to save you and bring you home today, but they chose not to. Here see for yourself. I took a screenshot and sent it to Tweedledee here.”** He reached behind him waiting for the aforementioned male to hand him the cell phone. Not missing the quick flash of nervousness that Minhyuk swiftly tried to conceal behind fake bravado again. 

Minhyuk narrowed his eyes, **“I don’t believe you.”**

**“See for yourself,”** Hong said before showing Minhyuk the last message he sent to Minhyuk’s cell phone.   
  
Minhyuk shook his head, **“That doesn’t prove anything.”** It was just a single message to his number, it didn’t even have a response. His friends may not have even found the phone yet. 

**“Regardless I am a man of my word, so it is time for you to pay for their failures. So let's get started shall we, we have a long road ahead of us.”** Hong Soh-un said with a glint to his stare that made a cold shiver run along Minhyuk’s spine. 

_******* _

That evening had passed slowly as well. Dinner with Monsta X was oddly silent for them. So much so they found that they missed Minhyuk’s constant talking. It was just too quiet without him. Some members had a harder time going to sleep than others, but eventually they all did end up falling asleep. Those who had not slept well the last couple of nights gave in to their bodies exhaustion. The next morning they were all groggy to awaken. Those who slept the whole night were not ready to wake up, while others tossed and turned most of the night and were just exhausted in general from a bad night's sleep. 

It was 9am when the first message was delivered. Everyone seemed to be wide awake the second they heard the notification. All of them gathered hesitantly around the phone to read the message from the kidnappers. Looking around at each other they tried to determine who would open the message. Eventually Changkyun leaned down and opened the message. 

_ ‘ **To:** Lee Minhyuk _

_**From:** Anonymous  _

_ Good Morning Angels… Hahaha just kidding. Good Morning Monsta X. I hope you slept well. Alas this can’t be a social call. So back to business, it is time for your punishments.  _

_ First: A package was left for Wonho outside the dorm. Do not open it until the video attachment tells you. Go get it though.   
Second: Once you have it, play the video attachment for Hyungwon’s punishment.’ _

The members all shared a look, as Shownu went to get the package. Bringing it back he laid it down on the table beside the phone. It was no larger than an i-Phone box. Once that was done they hesitated for a few minutes. 

**“Should we do as they said and wait for the video to tell us when to open the box or do it now?”** Wonho asked nervously. He wasn’t sure what could be in the box that could lead to his punishment. 

Kihyun bit his lip before closing his eyes, **“I think we should follow the rules of this game or it could go south really quickly.”** Little did he know how right those words were at the time. 

A grim silence fell over the group before they clicked on the video attachment. As the video opened up they registered that it was going to be a dark black and white video, with very poor sound quality. They could barely hear anything that was being said. The other thing they noticed was that it looked like a prison cell, and at the center of it was Minhyuk. Audible gasps could be heard from all the members as they stared down at the phone. 

Some of them let out a breath of relief at seeing the male relatively unharmed only to tense up again at the situation that was slowly dawning on them. Hyungwon and Wonho watched with an intensity that no one else could really explain. For them this was personal. Hyungwon’s patience was short-lived as he paused the video and growled, startling everyone around him. 

**“This is supposed to be my punishment, how is this a punishment?”** He didn’t understand and Kihyun who was now almost as pale as a piece of paper gripped his hand tightly. 

**“We need to continue watching.”** Kihyun’s hand shook as he gripped Hyungwon’s hand. The taller male finally gave in and hit the play button again. This time there seemed to be movement on the screen. The man, who they could only assume was the kidnapper, wore a black mask that covered three quarters of his face; stood up only to knee in front of Minhyuk and cut up his right pant leg to the males knee. 

The members watched and waited afraid to breath. Watching as the masked man lifted Minhyuk’s leg over his and traced the whale tattoo. Changkyun pieced it together and quickly paused the video before grabbing the package. Everyone looked at the Maknae with confusion and frustration. With trembling hands Changkyun closed his eyes and pressed the package to his forehead. **“We are so sorry Hyung.”**

Jooheon couldn’t stop himself, before he knew it he was standing and taking the package from Changkyun who was fighting back tears. The older rapper ripped the package open. They all watched as Jooheon’s face contorted and he had to stop himself from vomiting. An inhuman noise sounded from him before Shownu took the package away and just as quickly dropped it on the table. A single glossed over brown eye sat among white rose petals dyed red from the blood. 

Hyungwon turned back to the video and pressed play. Everyone slowly moved to continue watching as well. They saw the masked man stand and extend a hand to someone off camera. Only to be handed a sledge hammer a moment later. Hyungwon swallowed thickly as he watched the hammer come down against Minhyuk's knee. The sudden ear piercing scream of agony that filled the dorm sent shivers down their backs. The video then cut to some text that said, _‘Hyungwon’s Punishment Complete. Wonho may open the Package Now.’_ The video then started up again with Minhyuk begging for the masked man to leave him alone. 

They didn’t have to watch anymore to know what happened after that. Closing the attachment they covered the eye back up. Some of them had to rush to the bathroom. While others silently cried. Hyungwon was eerily quiet, not reacting in any way. Wonho was sobbing outwardly, his whole being shaking from the outcome. Kihyun, Changkyun, and Jooheon all migrated closer to Shownu where they felt safer. Than the phone dinged with another message notification. 

Hesitantly they moved to read the contents of the new message. 

_ ‘ **To:** Lee Minhyuk _

_**From:** Anonymous _

_ Simon say, are we ready for round two!?’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, that all happened. On another note, I am thinking of starting another story that will be a bit different genre wise than this one. Focusing on the seven deadly sins and the heavenly virtues. So stay tuned for that. ^^


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